Broadcast TV Tops Digital and Cable News Brands

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIF. – Digital and cable brands may be the ones making the big moves as of late, but news consumers still rely on broadcast TV the most, according to a recent survey by SmithGeiger on behalf of the National Association of Broadcasters. Polling more than 3,300 new consumers between the ages of 18 and 64, SmithGeiger compared the brand affinity of 22 broadcast, digital and cable brands, including ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX local affiliates, Google, Facebook, Twitter, CNN, FOX News, and MSNBC.

The big takeaway from the study was how relevant broadcast TV news was among all age groups. 66 percent of pollers get their news and information from a broadcaster, either on TV, the Web, or a mobile device at least once a week. 39 percent watch the news on broadcast TV everyday. That number may be on the rise too, as 48 percent say broadcast is more important today than it was a year ago and 45 percent say it could be even more important in two to three years – only 18 percent see its relevance decreasing over that time.

Viewers perspectives of broadcast news are changing as well. 53 percent of new consumers see local broadcasters as 24/7 services, with 39 percent utilizing broadcasters’ digital platforms for news and information. Even the traditional news broadcasts are going digital, with 68 percent of consumers reportedly having watched broadcast news video on a digital platform (56 percent of that on a mobile device).

As a result, the positive outlook on broadcasters is noticeable. Broadcasters receive a 57 percent positive brand affinity, compared to 52 percent for digital brands and 40 percent for cable.

“By any measure, broadcasters are resonating at extremely high levels with media consumers,” said Dr. Seth Geiger, the project’s lead researcher and president of SmithGeiger. “The resilience, relevance and reliance news consumers continue to place on broadcasters is eye opening.”